Joey Barton 'baffled' by Wilfried Zaha's England call

Joey Barton doesn't think that Crystal Palace ace Wilfried Zaha should be in the England squad

My brain is asking why no Kevin Nolan? Surely, he warrants a call up more than most?

Joey Barton on Twitter

The on-loan Marseille star believes that the Crystal Palace youngster is not as deserving of a place in the Three Lions set-up as more established names, such as West Ham midfielder Kevin Nolan.

And Barton criticised the policy of picking dual-nationality players like Zaha, merely to prevent them playing for other countries.

Zaha, who turned 20 on Saturday, is also eligible to play for the Ivory Coast until he makes a competitive senior appearance for England.

But Barton - who left QPR in the summer after being banned for 12 matches - believes that former team-mate Nolan should be ahead of Zaha in the pecking order, after notching five Premier League goals already this term.

"My brain is asking why no Kevin Nolan? Surely, he warrants a call up more than most?" he wrote on Twitter.

"Not a fan of the latest craze, giving caps out so as players don't go and play for other countries. Doesn't sit well with me that...

"I'm not on about [Raheem] Sterling, I'm on about Zaha. Not played in the Prem yet. Nolan scored more Prem goals, yet don't get a look in? Baffles me."

Barton also hit out at Hodgson for handing out "charity caps" to players such as 31-year-old Everton star Leon Osman.